Best Chocolate Cupcakes With Meringue Frosting Recipes

GANACHE-FILLED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH SEVEN-MINUTE MERINGE FROSTING

Steps:

• For cupcakes:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup standard muffin pans with paper liners. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well incorporated after each addition. Beat in vanilla, half of flour mixture, then 1 cup hot water. Add remaining flour mixture; beat just until blended. Let batter stand until cooled and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter among muffin papers (about 1/4 cup batter each).
• Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely in pans.
• For filling and frosting:
• Bring cream just to boil in heavy small saucepan. Place chocolate chips in medium bowl; pour hot cream over. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until melted and smooth. Let stand at room temperature until cool and firm, about 2 hours. (Alternatively, chill ganache until cool and firm, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.) DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Whisk 1/3 cup water, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and coarse salt to blend in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from over water and continue beating until frosting is cool to touch, stiff, and billowy, about 2 minutes. Beat vanilla into frosting.
• Using thumb, press down center of each cupcake from top to bottom, forming deep pocket. Spoon or pipe ganache into pocket of each cupcake.
• Frost cupcakes, forming tall peaks. DO AHEAD: Cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.

WHITE CUPCAKES WITH MERINGUE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Stir the milk and vanilla together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of the sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add half the milk mixture and beat until smooth. Repeat, adding flour, then milk, and then the remaining flour, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat briefly to make a smooth batter; set aside.
• Put the egg whites in a clean bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, about 10 minutes. Fold one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten it and then fold in the remaining whites. Divide the cake batter evenly between the cups of the prepared muffin tin.
• Bake, rotating the tin halfway through, until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely on the rack.
• Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan. Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, lemon juice, cream of tartar and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the water and whip with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until the meringue is cool and holds a soft peak, about 5 minutes. Add a few drops of desired food coloring to tint the frosting and continue beating until it holds stiff peaks.
• Spoon or pipe the frosting decoratively and generously on the cupcakes.
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PEANUT BUTTER CUP CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH TOASTED PEANUT BUTTER MERINGUE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line 14 muffin cups with paper muffin liners.
• Whisk flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add milk, vegetable oil, 1 egg, and vanilla extract; mix using an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Increase speed to medium and mix well.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly pour boiling water into flour mixture. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.
• Fill each muffin cup halfway and place a peanut butter cup in the center of each.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden and tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a bowl until just combined. Pour egg mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Return egg mixture to bowl. Whisk egg mixture on high speed until still peaks form.
• Place peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high at 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until peanut butter is thin and creamy. Gently fold melted peanut butter into egg whites. Transfer peanut butter frosting to a piping bag.
• Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
• Toast cupcakes under preheated broiler until lightly browned, about 1 minute.